West LA Times

A plastic surgeon who has been practicing in Thousand Oaks and the Simi Valley areas for two decades is a driving force behind the Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery team.

Dr. Glenn Waldman, a board-certified otolaryngologist and facial plastic surgeon, is one of the founders of Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery, bringing a unique perspective to the team. He founded the center along with Dr. Jeffrey Feinfield.

Waldman learned from a personal experience in 2005 the importance of caring for patients and creating a positive experience, after he went through a life-threatening battle with a flesh-eating bacterial disease in his leg. After surgery, he was in an induced coma, spent several weeks in the hospital and then was out of work for two months. 

Dr. Glenn Waldman | Bella Vista ENT

“It was definitely a very extreme life-altering situation, where I came very close to death, had multi-organ system failure and five surgeries on my leg,” Waldman told West LA Times. “I think it gave me just incredible perspective, not only on life and people and goals, but also on the patient experience and what it's like to be a patient and... what the patient experiences.”

Waldman is the son of first-generation Americans. His grandparents fled Eastern Europe to escape anti-Semitic persecution. Neither of his parents attended college. Born in Philadelphia, he grew up in California from the age of 2.

“We grew up in a very modest middle-class, working-class family where we had two parents who never went to college but just worked hard and tried to push us to do better,” he said. 

Waldman attended the University of California, San Diego, graduating magna cum laude. He completed medical school at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. 

“My brother is also a physician,” he noted. “He's actually the head of pediatric ENT at Yale. I give my parents just a tremendous amount of credit for doing what they did for us and being where we are today.”

Waldman completed an internship in general surgery and a residency in otolaryngology (head and neck surgery), facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.  He later had his own practice in Thousand Oaks. As an otolaryngologist, he focuses on ear, nose and throat disorders and is a specialist in sinus disorders. 

Waldman also is a member of the elite American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and a member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Each of these prominent organizations requires members to be accomplished surgeons who are committed to high standards and quality care. Their logos symbolize that a doctor is highly trained and experienced in the field.

Both Waldman and Feinfield are Center of Excellence physicians for Stryker, meaning they train other ENTs from all over the country on how to perform office procedures.

Bella Vista offers a sinus quiz for prospective patients to evaluate their symptoms and decide if they could benefit from a visit to the doctor.